A venture studio for early-stage, tech-enabled founders opens in Stellenbosch, backed by a group that has already invested in 13 startups, eight of them revenue-generating and four profitable.
Octoco has launched Yenza Venture Studio, a Stellenbosch-based programme to accelerate early-stage, tech-enabled startups. Applications for the inaugural cohort opened in December 2024, with the first cohort starting in March 2025.
Founders in the programme get hardware, software and IoT engineering, CTO support, financial and legal services, mentorship, and access to venture capital, the resources that usually arrive only after a first round, offered before it.
Yenza formalises what the group had been doing informally for five years. Over that time Octoco invested in 13 early-stage startups; eight are generating revenue and four are profitable.
With Yenza, we’re uniting world-class venture-building resources with South Africa’s entrepreneurial talent to make a significant impact on both local and global markets.
Jacques Burger, COO of Octoco, at the launch.
